“Maybe” -The Farmer’s Luck

There is an old Taoist story that tells of a farmer whose horse ran away. When his neighbors came by to say how badly they felt to hear the news and tell him what bad luck this was, the farmer’s only response was, “maybe.” The next day the farmer’s horse returned with another, wild horse and when the neighbors again came by to say what good luck this was, the farmer simply replied, “maybe.” The farmer’s son tried to tame the horse but was thrown and broke his leg. Again the neighbors descended to express what bad luck this was to which the farmer said, “maybe.” A few days later, the army came through town to collect all the able bodied men and boys for fighting but upon seeing the farmer’s son with his broken leg, they passed him by. Yet again the neighbors, standing at the doorway said what good luck this was. “Maybe…”

George David Clark lives and works in Pennsylvania. He spoke to us from his office about his writing. Presently he is in process with a manuscript of poetry. It has been five years since publication of his first book, Reveille, and since then he has attempted a few iterations of this second manuscript. The poems he seems to have settled on are more autobiographical, including a piece about the loss of a son during childbirth. Many of the poems relate to his children and the experience of time. To hear more from Clark, including live readings of some of his poetry, listen to the complete interview.

Lee Emma Running spoke to us from Tallahassee, Florida where she was at a week long residency at Small Craft Advisory Press. During residency period she worked with her longtime collaborator to craft their second artist book together. The book is part of a series in the collaboration. She and her collaborator met when they both served as teachers at Oxbow and discovered complementary skill sets. As a sculptor, Running has worked extensively with roadkill bones as her medium and she is currently developing and refining the process of glass casting. Her work embraces the complexity of the natural world. To hear more from Running, listen to the complete interview.